Vibration recording instrument



April 21, 1936. v. E. CARBONARA VIBRATION RECORD ING INSTRUMENT Filed May 4, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. V/CTU/P E. CAPBONARA.

A TTORNEY a, a NW April 1936- v. E. CARBONARA 2,037,698

VIBRATION RECORDING INSTRUMENT Filed May 4, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. V/CTOR E. 6/1 REONA/PA.

ATTORNEY nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn Patented Apr. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,037,698 VIBRATION RECORDING INSTRUMENT Victor E. Carbonara, Rockville Centre, N. Y., as-

signor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, Ind., a corporation of Delaware Application May 4, 1932', Serial No. 609,237

' '1 Claims. (01. 234-55) This invention relates to recording instrubration recording instrument of the photographic ments, and more particularly to means for retype which is of small size and light weight. cording vibrations. The above and other objects and advantages Although, in its broadest aspect, the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a con- I is adapted for recording vibrations of any mesideration of the detailed description of one em- 5 chanical structures, it is particularly suitable for bodiment of the invention, which latter is illusrecording vibrations on aircraft, and more specitrated in-the accompanying drawings. It is to fically, vibrations of instrument panels on airbe expressly understood, however, that the drawcraft'. ings are for the purpose of illustration only and Vibration of a mechanical structure produces are not designed as a definition oi the limits of 1 undesirable conditions therein such, for examthe invention, reference being had, primarily, to ple, as fatigue of elements of the structure. Furthe appended claims for this purpose.

thermore, excessive vibrations of an aircraft in In the drawings wherein like reference charstrument panel leads to premature deterioration acters refer to like parts throughout the several and/or to erroneous indications of the various views: 15 sensitive instruments mounted on the panel. In Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section illustrating an order to overcome such conditions, it is highly instrument embodying the present invention; desirable to accurately measure the amplitude and Fig. 2 is a rear nd view of th devi h wn in form of the vibrations towhich the structure is Fig. 1 after a portion of the cover or housing has subjected. Accordingly, one of the objects of. been removed; 20, the present invention is to provide a novel instru- 3 s an e ged detail V w taken along ment which may be readily installed on a vibratline 3-3 of Fig. ing structure for recording the vibrations of the g- 4 S 8- nd e a P y in Section and latter, and more particularly the amplitude and with parts broken aw y, illustrating One form 0f form of such vibrations. watch mechanism which may be employed in 25 Another object of the invention is to provide carrying out the invention;

a novel vibration recording instrument which is Fig. 5 is a front end elevation of the instrument particularly adapted for use in determining the shownin Fig. 1; and nature of vibrations of a movable structure such, Fig. 6 is a detail view illustrating the type of for example, as an airplane. vibration record which may be obtained by the 30 Another object is to provide a vibration reuse of the present invention. 7

cording instrument, or vibrograph, of such size, n t e fo S the novel V p shape and'weight that the same may be readily vibration recording instrument, comprises ahousmounted on a vibratable member without substaning ID to he r f w h is detachably secured s5 tially altering the vibration characteristics of said a metal cup he em rs const tu n member. the instrument case.. Housing lll embodies a wall Another object is to provide a novel vibration l c ns t Partition w h v s t i recording instrument of such size, shape and strument case into rear and front compartments, weight that the same may be readily mounted on the latter being closed by the disc l3 secured in 40 an instrument panel such, for example, as an any suitable manner to the front end of housing 40 aircraft instrument panel, in any of the open- T 08-58 is adapted to be mounted on a ings provided for standard instruments, without brating member accordingly, w 80 substantially altering the vibration characteris-, mounted it is subjected to the vibrations of said tics of the panel so that the exact characteristics member. As illustrated, the case or housing It of. the vibrations of the panel to which the inis f su s a d form as to be readily mounted 45 strument is subjected in operation may be quickly on an instrument panel such, for example, as an and accurately determined and permanently reaircraft instrument pane in y of the Openings corded. provided thereon for mounting standard aircraft A further object is to provide a novel device of ins rum n It is to be expressly d to d,

the above character which is so constructed as to however, that the invention is not limited to the 50 make a permanent, visual record of the ampliform illustrated, but may be made for suitable tude, in two planes, and of the form of the vibramounting on any type of vibrating structure. tions of the member on which the device is Means are provided within casing III, II, to mounted. project a beam of light and, since said means are A still further object is to provide a novel vimounted within the casing, the light beam will 55 be subjected to the vibrations of the member on which the casing is mounted. For this purpose, there is employed a lamp H, such as a focusingtype flash light bulb, that is connected by means of leads |5 to a suitable source of current such as a battery (not shown). The lamp is mounted in any convenient manner in the lower portion of housing l0 and in the front compartment substantially intermediate walls l2 and I3. The lamp socket l6 has secured thereto, in a position to surround lamp I4, an opaque sleeve H which extends upwardly and carries adjacent its upper end a condenser lens |8 which directs the light beam through a small aperture IS in the disc-like member 2|] secured to the upper end of sleeve As noted above, the casing IO, U and lamp l4, and hence the light beam illustrated by the irregular line 2|, are all subjected to the, vibrations of the memberon which said casing is mounted. A reference member having a motion which is independent of the vibration frequencies, 1. e., which is stationary with respect to the axes of the member whose vibration charasteristics are to be recorded, is provided, however, in order that the movements of the light beam, and hence the amplitude and form of vibrations to which said beam is subjected, may be recorded. The reference member will be referred to as being a stationary member since it has no movement in a horizontal plane passing through the center of mass of said member, although said plane moves in unison with the vertical component of the vibrations and hence in unison with a parallel plane passing through the source of light. It is thus possible to obtain a faithful record of the vibrations in two planes, and such records can be compared with an arbitrary standard to secure the desired results.

In order to provide said stationary reference member, the present instrument preferably is fitted with a pendulum 22 having a natural frequency such that it is substantially independent of the frequencies of vibrations imparted to the instrument case. The pendulum is mounted by means of a jeweled bearing, universal joint 23 attached in any suitable manner to the upper portion of housing III. In order that pendulum 22 and the pendulum rod 24 may be independent of vibration frequencies, they should be so formed as to have a natural frequency of substantially one-fifth or less of the lowest frequency which it is desired to record. For example, if the instrument is employedon an airplane instrument board, the frequency of the pendulum should be one-fifth or less of the lowest frequency of the instrument board. It has been found that if the natural period of the pendulum is less than five times the period of the vibrations, the amplitudes of which are to be measured, the pendulum will not remain stationary in a horizontal plane and the resultant record will be an apparent rather than a true measure of the vibrations.

Preferably, pendulum rod 24 is so mounted within housing III that its longitudinal axis is coaxial with aperture l3 and the light beam 2| when the instrument is not being subjected to vibrations.

As noted above, there is never any relative movement between the pendulum, the light beam and aperture l9 along a vertical axis passing through these members, regardless of the vibrations imparted to the instrument. Lamp l4 and beam 2|, however, each have relative movement with respect to pendulum 22 in a horizontal plane disposed substantially at right angles to the the wall l2.

vertical line passing through the center of gravity of the pendulum.

Preferably, pendulum 22 is provided on.its lower surface with an angularly disposed mirror or other reflecting member 25 for directing the vibrated beam 2| into the rear compartment of the instrument case. As shown, mirror 25 is disposed at an angle of substantially 45 degrees relative to the axis of rod 24 and the beam 2|. Mounted in wall l2 of housing I0 is an objective lens- 26 through which the light beam, reflected from mirror 25, passes into the rear compartment of the instrument case.

It is desirable to provide a vibration record of such size as to render the same readily readable, and at the same time provide an instrument of small size. Accordingly, the present invention, when adapted for use on airplanes, for example, preferably includes a plurality of light reflecting members to increase the optical leverage of the vibrated beam without increasing the overall length of the instrument. To this end, there are employed a pair of stationary prisms 21 and 28 mounted at an angle of substantially 45 degrees to the horizontal on an angle bracket 29 that is suitably attached to a pair of posts 30 which are secured to and extend laterally from A spacing plate 294: may be attached to the prisms if desired. As will be noted in Fig. 1, prisms 21, 28 reflect the light beam through 180 degrees onto a movable mirror 3| to be more fully described hereinafter.

Means are provided for positioning a lightsensitive member or film in the path of the light beam after it leaves the mirror 3| in order that a permanent record may be made of the amplitude and form of the vibrations to be measured. For this purpose, there are provided a pair of film-carrying spools 32 and 33 which may be mounted on suitable posts 34 in the rear compartment of the instrument case, the posts 34 projecting horizontally from the lower portion of wall l2.

A shaft 35, which projects through a suitable opening in cup I and is provided on its outer end with a knob 36, may be employed for rotating spool 33 to expose lengths of the film 31 to the light beam. The fllm is supported in operative position by means of a glass cylinder 33 which is supported in the rear compartment of the instrument case by means of a pair of screws 39, the heads of which may lap over the ends of the cylinder to hold the same in place. As will be noted in Fig. 2, a portion of the cylinder may be cut away so that its periphery, subtends an angle of approximately 220 degrees. The film is thus supported on the outer surface of the glass cylinder intermediate said cylinder and the inner wall of cup H and in the path of the light beam 2| after the latter has been reflected by minor 3|. As a section of film is exposed, knob 36 may be rotated to bring another section of film into a position such that it is in the path of the reflected light beam 2|.

.1! the mirror 3| and film are relatively stationary, a plurality of superimposed expcxsures of the film will be obtained. Since some difficulty might be experienced in reading such a record, the present invention comprehends the use of a mirror and film which are relatively movable. Additionally, it is desirable to provide an instrument of small weight in order that the same may be mounted on a vibrating member without substantially altering the mass of the member and hence the vibration characteristics thereof. It

it is desired to move the film, a relatively large amount of power would be required and hence the weight of the instrument would be materially increased. Preferably, the present invention includes the use of a normally stationary film, and means are provided for angularly moving mirror 3| in order that a series of laterally spaced exposures may be obtained.- To this end, the instrument includes an ordinary watch mechanism 40 comprising a main spring 4i (Fig. 4), a balance wheel 42 and the usual second-hand shaft 43. Mirror II is secured to the second-hand shaft 43 and is rotatable thereby. The balance wheel 42 is provided with a suitable shutter 44, which shutter is movable in a plane such that it interrupts the beam of light in its passage from the objective lens 26 to the prism 21.

It will be apparent that when the watch mechanism is in operation, mirror II will be moved and, at the instant that said mirror is moved, shutter 44 will interrupt the passage of light from lens 28 to prism 21. Accordingly, the beam will not strike or sensitize the film at the instant that the mirror is beingmloved, but immediately after the mirror has been shifted to a new angular position, the beamwill again strike the film, whereby a series of separate exposures 45 (Big. 6), picturing the amplitude and form of the vibrations to which the instrument case is subjected, will be obtained on the film. The watch mechanism may be wound by means of a key 46 (Fig. 1) adapted to be inserted through an opening 41 in the disc", and to engage a winding stem 48 constituting a portion of the watch mechanism. As shown, stem 4. projects through wall l2,

When lamp i4 is illuminated and the watch mechanism is in operation, vibrations imparted to the instrument case will be recorded on the film. After a section of film has been exposed, the circuit to the lamp may be opened and a new section of film moved into operative position by means of knob 3'. Before the instrument is placed in use, it should be properly calibrated by determining the amplification constants for the two axes along which the amplitudes are measured. Any member which follows a simple harmonic motion of known amplitude, and to which the instrument can be conveniently attached, may be used as a standard. The constants may be readily obtained from a series of records taken with the instrument somounted,

As will be seen by those skilled in the art, the instrument is not limited to use on instrument boards of airplanes but is adapted for a variety of uses where it is'desired to determine the vibration characteristics of a particular member. Various changes may bemade in the arrangement and design of the parts: 1"or example, if the vibrograph is not employed on airplanes,

means may be utilized for moving the film with respect to the mirror; which may be stationarily mounted in this event. Moreover, a record may be obtained even though neither the film nor the mirror is moved during the time that the film is being exposed. Preferably ,however, the mirror is rotated since a very small amount of-power only is required for this Furthermore, it is to be expressly understood that thestationary member may assume a variety or mechanicat forms such, for example, as a heavy mass yieldingly mounted for freedom of movementin one or more planes, it being understood-that said mass should have a frequency of substantially one-fifth or less of the frequency oi the member whose vibration characteristics are to be determined. Obviously, various arrangements of prisms and mirrors may be employed. Accordingly, reference will be had, primarily, to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vibration recording instrument of the type including a casing having a mass mounted for universal relative movement therein, a reflecting member carried by said mass, light-projecting means secured in said casing for projecting a beam of light onto said reflecting member whereby said beam is vibrated by relative movement between said member and said casing when the latter is mounted on a member the vibrations of which are to be recorded, and additional reflecting means secured in said casing for further reflecting said beam, the combination of a rotatable reflecting member interposed between the reflecting member carried by the mass and the reflecting means secured in the casing, means for A rotating said rotatable reflecting member whereby said vibrating beam is further reflected and has an angular movement imparted thereto, and a relatively stationary light-sensitive film in said casing for receiving said angularly movable vibrating beam thereon whereby a photographic record ofthe vibrations of the vibrating member is produced.

2. In a vibration recording instrument of the tion of a rotatable reflecting member interposed between the reflecting member carried by the mass and the reflecting means secured in the casing, a timing mechanism in said casing for rotating said rotatable reflecting member whereby said vibrating beam is further reflected and has an angular movement imparted thereto, and a relatively stationary light-sensitive film in said casing for receiving said angularly movable vibrating beam thereon whereby a photographic record of the vibrations of the vibrating member is produced.

3. In a vibration recording instrument of thetype including a casing having a mass mounted for universal relative movement therein, a refleeting member carried by said mass, light-projecting means secured in said casing for projecting a beam of light onto said reflecting member whereby said beam is vibrated by relative movement between said member and said casing when the latter is mounted on a member the vibrations of which are to be recorded, and additional reflecting means secured in said casing for further reflecting said beam, the combination of a rotatable reflecting member interposed between the reflecting member carried by the mass and the reflecting means secured in the casing, a spring actuated clock mechanism in said casing for rotating said rotatable reflecting membenwhereby said vibrating beam is further larly movable vibrating beam thereon whereby a photographic record of the vibrations of the vibrating member is produced.

4. In a vibration recording instrument of the type including a casing having a mass mounted for universal relative movement therein, a reflecting member carried by said mass, light-projecting means secured in said casing for project-. ing a beam of light onto said reflecting member whereby said beam is vibrated by relative movement between said member and said casing when the latter is mounted on a member the vibrations of which are to be recorded, and additional reflecting means secured in said casing for further reflecting said beam, the combination of a rotatable reflecting member interposed between the reflecting member carried by the mass and the reflecting means secured in-the casing, means for rotating said rotatable member whereby said vibrating beam is further reflected and has an angular movement imparted thereto, a relatively stationary light-sensitive fllm in said casing for receiving said angularly movable vibrating beam thereon whereby a photographic record or the vibrations of the vibrating member is produced, and a shutter for intermittently cutting off the passage of the light beam to said rotatable reflecting member as the latter rotates whereby a series of separate exposures picturing the amplitude and form or the vibrations is produced on the relatively stationary fllm.

5. In a vibration recording instrument of the type including a casing having a mass mounted for universal movement therein, a reflecting member carried by said mass, light-projecting meanssecured in said casing for projecting a beam of light onto said reflecting member whereby said beam is vibrated by relative movement between said member and said casing when the latter is mounted on a member the vibrations of which are to be recorded, and additional reflecting means secured in said casing for further reflecting said beam, the combination of a rotatable refleoting memberinterposed between the reflecting member carried by the mass and the reflecting means secured in the casing, a timing mechanism in said casing for rotating said rotatable reflecting member whereby said vibrating beam is further reflected and has an angular movement imparted thereto, a relatively stationary light-sensitive film in said casing for receiving said angularly movable vibrating beam thereon whereby a photographic record of the vibrations of the vibrating member is produced, and a shutter for intermittently cutting off the passage of the light beam to said rotatable reflecting member as the latter rotates whereby a series of separate exposures picturing the ampli-,

aosaeoe tude and form of the vibrationsis produced on the relatively stationary film.

6. In a vibration recording instrument of the type including a casing having a; mass mounted for universal relative movement therein, a reflecting member carried by said mass, light-projecting means secured in said casing for projecting a beam of light onto said reflecting member whereby said beam is vibrated by relative movement between said member and said casing when the latter is mounted on a member the vibrations of which are to be recorded, and additional reflecting means secured in said casing for further reflecting said beam, the combination 01' a rotatable reflecting member interposed between the reflecting member carried by the mass and the reflecting means secured in the casing, a spring actuatedclock mechanism in said casing for rotating said rotatable reflecting member whereby said vibrating beam is further reflected and has an angular movement imparted thereto, a relatively stationary light-sensitive fllm in said casing for receiving said angularly movable vibrating beam thereon whereby a photographic record of the vibrations of the vibrating member is produced, and a shutter operated by said clock mechanism for intermittently cutting off the passage of the light beam to said rotatable reflecting member as the latter rotates whereby a series of separate exposures picturing the amplitude and form of the vibrations is produced on the relativelystationary film.

7. In a vibration recording instrument of the type including a cylindrical casing having a mass mounted for universal relative movement therein, a reflecting member carried by said mass, light-projecting means secured in said casing for projecting a beam of light onto said reflecting member whereby said beam is vibrated by relative movement between said member and said casing when the latter is mounted on a member the vibrations of which are to be recorded, and

. additional reflecting means secured in said casing for further reflecting said beam, the combination of a rotatable reflecting member interposed between the reflecting member carried by the mass and the reflecting means secured in the casing, means for rotating said rotatable member about an axis extending longitudinally oi the cylindrical casing whereby said vibrat- 1118 beam is further reflected and has an angular movement imparted thereto, and a relatively stationary longitudinal light-sensitive film in said casing and positioned transversely of said longitudinal axs for receiving said angularly movable vibrating beam thereon whereby a photographic record of the vibrations of the vibrating member is produced.

VICTOR E. CARBONARA. 

